Benjamin Stout Email & Phone Number

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Paris La Défense, Fr

- Responsible for overseeing and strategically managing an annual spend exceeding $1.8billion across all Sourcing categories. Led initiatives to optimize cost structures and cultivate strategic supplier relationships, resulting in the realization of +$24million in annual cost savings within the first year.- Spearheaded a comprehensive transformation initiative by restructuring cross-functional teams, optimizing internal and external processes within the Procurement function, and revamping strategic supply strategies. This strategic overhaul not only attracted top-tier talent to the organization but also cultivated a culture of agility and efficiency. As a result, the Procurement team consistently outperformed predefined KPIs, driving increased cost savings, supplier diversification, and supply chain resilience.

Wilmington, De, Us

• Responsible for all spend categories, sourcing strategies, and procurement processes across the entire enterprise for a total annual spend.• Reduced Direct and Indirect material costs by $34M through implementing and executing the Sourcing Wave Plan • Assessed and transformed the entire Sourcing organization by developing a new methodology for how the team managed the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) via Sourcing Waves, Plan-to-Strategy (P2S), Source-to-Contract (S2C), and Purchase-to-Pay (P2P)• Provided leadership and guidance to the sourcing organization by setting an inspiring vision, being a role model for change, and working tirelessly to develop and attract new talent into the company** Part of the core Transition Team that led the successful sale of Clearon to Solenis

Ludwigshafen, De

• Managed a mix of global and regional raw material categories with an annual spend of ~$150M • Negotiated $2.5M in annual savings through a multi-year commercial agreement within the first two months of the role• Led the negotiations of complex supply agreements/contracts through the RFI/RFP/RFQ sourcing process as well as negotiating commercial terms, monitoring supplier performance, resolving claims, and providing market intelligence to the internal business partners • Developed multi-year sourcing strategies by conducting market intelligence research, collaborating with key suppliers, industry associations, and internal stakeholders to assess the current and future direction of Procurement

Ludwigshafen, De

• Selected for an international delegation working in the areas of strategy, product management, procurement, and supply chain at BASF’s Performance Materials world headquarters working directly with our senior executive leadership • Developed a global risk management program to identify high risk areas within our supply chain and mitigate those risks with clear actionable solutions that resulted in a decrease of our financial exposure by over €30M (within six months). *Presented the program to members of the BASF board of directors• Directed the acquisition of the global Solvay Performance Polymers Supply Chain group into BASF that involved adding 57 new team members, and 5 production facilities• Led a global project team with 40 individuals (Asia, Europe, and North America) to develop and implement a forward-looking margin impact tool that provides pricing guidance to our commercial organization. *This project was nominated for a global business excellence award within BASF

Ludwigshafen, De

• Managed a cross-functional team in the Sales & Operations process for six different business units that account for over a billion in revenue with over sixty sales representatives• Orchestrated a team that performed business analytics to investigate past trends to establish a detailed business forecast that plans sales volume for 12,500 customer product combinations for the Performance Materials group• Led several supply chain restructuring efforts to enhance our focus on customers by becoming more industry aligned, including the implementation of BRM (Business Rules Management)• Developed a demand planning process which was recognized as a best practice throughout BASF globally• Provided leadership and executive oversight to a multidisciplinary team of experienced planners and a project manager

Midland, Michigan, Us

• Managed the C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) along with the PIP (Partners In Protection) program for $3.9 billion or 60,000 imports into the US and Canada• Conducted onsite security audits globally with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure supply chain security for high risk suppliers• Coordinated threat and security evaluations to address vulnerabilities and created new strategies to mitigate risks • Regulated the Importer Security Filings to ensure compliance with the rules and regulation set by CBP

Midland, Michigan, Us

• Applied broad and detailed knowledge of supply chain technology, operations, and business to resolve supply chain constraints to achieve $2.2M cost savings by improving inventory quality and reducing slow moving/obsolete inventory• Executed the strategic global planning for four chemical plants (producing 100Mlbs annually) within the PS&F business to support the business strategy through driving the Executive S&OP process and exceeding targeted customer service level of 98.7%• Created a sophisticated planning tool to provide more transparency to our global assets and improve product mix, asset utilization and maintenance down time scheduling• Supervised a team of schedulers working in the areas of warehousing, production, raw material purchasing and exchange swaps and tolls

Midland, Michigan, Us

• Led a variety of improvement projects to drive low cost to serve and a higher service level• Created contingency plans for marine packed cargo and air shipments, led the transit time table project, international shipment focal point for five Dow businesses • Mentored a team of interns while working with them to develop an Access database that streamlined international container shipments and carrier selection for $10.9M savings annually• Overhauled several global metrics calculated in international trade operations (On Time Delivery, Order to Cash, Rebooking’s, Freight Forwarder KPI’s, etc.)

Midland, Michigan, Us

• Internal consultant providing simulation and network optimization to various businesses• Successfully implemented the design of new efficient and effective supply chains through modeling• Identified modifications in product sourcing, out-plant selection, inventory management and transportation optimization• Led a project that resulted in a cost savings of $3.2M, 5% improvement in customer service level, and a reduction in carbon emissions. This project was nominated for a Global Tech Center Award in 2010

Midland, Michigan, Us

• Developed a global terminal tank contract cost database to achieve a 15% improvement in supply chain total unit cost to serve that is now used as a MET (Most Effective Technology) for the Purchasing department• Executed strategic sourcing projects to deliver best in class service to global customers by ensuring that storage tanks are in the right location based on a center of gravity analysis

Amsterdam, Nl

• Performed business analytics to summarize, filter, present, transform, and analyze enterprise risk to help drive business decisions• Worked directly for the VP of Sourcing to further develop my business savviness, sense, and understanding for which to build my business career

Business, Supply Chain Management

Master Of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Finance And Marketing